I have seen mixed receptions of Tasha's Cauldron, and I was wondering if it is even worth the 30 dollars for hardcover, or the 20 bucks for digital, or if it is worth buying at all.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
I'm personally seeing immediate value in the book (I have both digital and physical versions), especially from the sidekick rules which are straight up replacing the Retainer system from Strongholds & Followers. Additionally, the DM tools are really good as I plan to incorporate all the various environments as well as making use of the puzzles they've included. It's not often that so soon after a book comes out am I putting it exhaustively to work in my campaigns.
If you're interested I can invite you to a campaign with content sharing. You can read the book and when my master subscription expires next friday you can decide if it's worth the money or not. :-)
i am not really on that often, so i dont see how i could be any good in your campaign but thanks for the offer!
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The book is sup-par in regards to D&D Beyond and is just monetization of a bunch of UA stuff. Buy the spells, items, or subclasses you want, but pass on the book itself as it isn't worth the $30.
The print copy is gold though, support your LGS and get it there.
i am not really on that often, so i dont see how i could be any good in your campaign but thanks for the offer!
I sent you an invitation link per private message. :-) You will be the only player in the campaign, don't worry. It's just so you can read the book on dndbeyond before you decide to buy it, like you could flip through the pages in a bookstore.
No, it isn't worth it. The subclasses are really boring, they are just a bunch of mechanics stuck together into a package without much idea of flavour. Some of them seemed exciting as UA but have been nerfed into obscurity in the book. The section on magic is pfft, a couple of interesting items and a handful of spells that are just rewording of spells already in the game - would have been better as an errata. The physical dangers section was pointless, they have covered things like falling, avalanches etc in plenty of other books. Chapter 4 in general is just pointless. I have been doing my own version of sidekicks for years, as has any other GM worth their salt, and don't get me started on the session zero rubbish. The knee-jerk reaction to BLM attempting to make all species the same just makes the species bland, it removes their history, their struggles and what makes them who they are, destroys any character and flavour, not to mention being a power gamer's wet dream. The only thing remotely interesting are the puzzles.
I 100% agree that complaining about all the classes coming from UA is completely missing the point is UA. That said, I'd really like to see the adjusted subclasses be submitted for a second round of UA more often, so that we as uesrs can give feedback to the direction they're taking the subclasses. So many subclasses seem to be hit with the "balance hammer" in such a way that it makes the subclass far less interesting.
A prime example being the way of mercy monk. I rated it highly in the UA because I loved the poison synergy, then they take away the most interesting thing about it for the published version.
As for if the book is worth it or not... I think it is.. I love the race stat adjustments and the fixes to beastmaster are nice.. Just a shame that favored foe was nerfed into a state where it'll never see use... another example of them not showing the adjusted version before it's too late.
But yea all the small things like finally being able to make a thrown weapons fighter.. Or a bruiser character.. Those are real nice.. I also really like the tattoos although I obviously haven't used them yet.
The only thing worth buying are the Class Feature Variants... and that’s the one gorram part not available as an individual purchase option. The rest is crap.
My issue with the book being primarily UA reprints is that the UA content was free on Monday, but now costs money on Tuesday? If you are going to repackage free content and charge for it while removing the free content, be upfront about it and just say "I need money" instead of marketing it as exciting new content. This has less to do with D&D Beyond and more to do with how Hasbro/WotC does business, but it does directly impact the value of the product since almost everything in the book is still available for free directly from WotC if you're willing to download a bunch of UA PDFs.
This book needed a lot more unique and never seen before content to be worth the price tag.
Of course it's not fair that people complain about things previously in UA now being paid content. But since I'm not one of those people I think it's perfectly fine that I suggest a method with which I believe subclasses would satisfy a larger number of people, once they do eventually get published. :)
As far as I understand it, UA is there to gauge the reception of certain subclasses/features, so it's only natural that they should try to understand exactly what it is about a suggested feature that was well recieved. The way it is done now, they get people's initial impression and then sometimes entirely miss the point of why people like the subclass/feature in the first place. Often it's not about the raw powerlevel nerf, but rather how they remove the core thing that got players excited.
Yea a 3rd and 4th would probably make it even more accurate.. But I think just actually being able to get people's reaction of the direction you intend to take the feature while balancing it is a very important bit of information if you're trying to actually satisfy your customers.
To take an example of favored foe.. They release a hugely popular UA featuring the ability to replace a ranger ability that can sometimes be really awkward to use in campaigns. People react positively so they decide to work towards a published version... However when the feature is actually published, none of what spawned the positive reception of the feature in the first place is present.. Meaning that they may aswell not have asked for the opnion of the player base in the first place, since they completely removed what it was people liked aoout it.
Cost is probably a concern, and I won't pretend to know about how expensive doing the UA stuff is.... But I fail to see the point of showing excitement about things if they are fundamentally changed once they reach release without us being able to react to said change.
I have absolutely no problem with UA becoming archived and having to purchase the content to use after it has been published. I absolutely hate the fact that they put the UA content out and then when it finally gets published it was like a bait-and-switch. Most of those subclasses were of little interest to me at all. But they went from 70% me not caring and 30% me being interested to me banning 100% of them because of that abysmally short-sighted Proficiency bonus scaling that they all have. The abusable nature of that design is prime for power gamers, and I want absolutely nothing to do with it at my table.
I resemble Lyxen’s remarks. I don’t typically allow/use UA material in my home campaigns though I do read it and try and follow how others use/implement it. Once something comes out in ‘official print,’ I then decide if I am going to use it. So for that reason, Tasha’s is worth the $$ to me personally and I am not disappointed that I bought it both in hard copy and here on DDB. (My hard copy was delayed, but should arrive today according to tracking.)
I will also admit that for me it has a nice bit of nostalgia flavoring to it.. For those of us who played back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, having Tasha narrate bits of the book is just fun imho. Some of us remember encountering Drelnza, the daughter of Iggwilv in those Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, or meeting Natasha in the Dragon published Module of Baba Yaga’s Hut.
So for me... yeah, totally worth it. Your mileage may vary though.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The question was is it worth the $30, the answer is no since the content was and for the most part still is free. Free public playtest of print material is in effect a pandora's box. Trying push it back behind a paywall is going to create backlash.
I won't simp for WotC on this, the content is mostly reprinted from stuff I already own or freely available for download. The handful of changes to subclasses are almost entirely nerfs, and why would I pay to nerf myself or my players? Almost nothing in UA is actually OP unless the DM is lazy and certainly nothing that made it into this book.
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I have seen mixed receptions of Tasha's Cauldron, and I was wondering if it is even worth the 30 dollars for hardcover, or the 20 bucks for digital, or if it is worth buying at all.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
I'm personally seeing immediate value in the book (I have both digital and physical versions), especially from the sidekick rules which are straight up replacing the Retainer system from Strongholds & Followers. Additionally, the DM tools are really good as I plan to incorporate all the various environments as well as making use of the puzzles they've included. It's not often that so soon after a book comes out am I putting it exhaustively to work in my campaigns.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
If you're interested I can invite you to a campaign with content sharing. You can read the book and when my master subscription expires next friday you can decide if it's worth the money or not. :-)
i am not really on that often, so i dont see how i could be any good in your campaign but thanks for the offer!
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
What he means is, once you put a character in his campaign, his book will be shared with you and you have access to read it for a limited time. :)
Seriously, 30 dollars for this kind of hardcover, is a really good deal!
he / him
The book is sup-par in regards to D&D Beyond and is just monetization of a bunch of UA stuff. Buy the spells, items, or subclasses you want, but pass on the book itself as it isn't worth the $30.
The print copy is gold though, support your LGS and get it there.
I sent you an invitation link per private message. :-) You will be the only player in the campaign, don't worry. It's just so you can read the book on dndbeyond before you decide to buy it, like you could flip through the pages in a bookstore.
No, it isn't worth it. The subclasses are really boring, they are just a bunch of mechanics stuck together into a package without much idea of flavour. Some of them seemed exciting as UA but have been nerfed into obscurity in the book. The section on magic is pfft, a couple of interesting items and a handful of spells that are just rewording of spells already in the game - would have been better as an errata. The physical dangers section was pointless, they have covered things like falling, avalanches etc in plenty of other books. Chapter 4 in general is just pointless. I have been doing my own version of sidekicks for years, as has any other GM worth their salt, and don't get me started on the session zero rubbish. The knee-jerk reaction to BLM attempting to make all species the same just makes the species bland, it removes their history, their struggles and what makes them who they are, destroys any character and flavour, not to mention being a power gamer's wet dream. The only thing remotely interesting are the puzzles.
It really depends on what you're looking for.
If you are really just interested in a couple of things, buy them separatly on the market.
Anything that isn't buyable separatly are thing that you can find pretty much the same somewhere else.
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
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I 100% agree that complaining about all the classes coming from UA is completely missing the point is UA. That said, I'd really like to see the adjusted subclasses be submitted for a second round of UA more often, so that we as uesrs can give feedback to the direction they're taking the subclasses. So many subclasses seem to be hit with the "balance hammer" in such a way that it makes the subclass far less interesting.
A prime example being the way of mercy monk. I rated it highly in the UA because I loved the poison synergy, then they take away the most interesting thing about it for the published version.
As for if the book is worth it or not... I think it is.. I love the race stat adjustments and the fixes to beastmaster are nice.. Just a shame that favored foe was nerfed into a state where it'll never see use... another example of them not showing the adjusted version before it's too late.
But yea all the small things like finally being able to make a thrown weapons fighter.. Or a bruiser character.. Those are real nice.. I also really like the tattoos although I obviously haven't used them yet.
The only thing worth buying are the Class Feature Variants... and that’s the one gorram part not available as an individual purchase option. The rest is crap.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
My issue with the book being primarily UA reprints is that the UA content was free on Monday, but now costs money on Tuesday? If you are going to repackage free content and charge for it while removing the free content, be upfront about it and just say "I need money" instead of marketing it as exciting new content. This has less to do with D&D Beyond and more to do with how Hasbro/WotC does business, but it does directly impact the value of the product since almost everything in the book is still available for free directly from WotC if you're willing to download a bunch of UA PDFs.
This book needed a lot more unique and never seen before content to be worth the price tag.
Of course it's not fair that people complain about things previously in UA now being paid content. But since I'm not one of those people I think it's perfectly fine that I suggest a method with which I believe subclasses would satisfy a larger number of people, once they do eventually get published. :)
As far as I understand it, UA is there to gauge the reception of certain subclasses/features, so it's only natural that they should try to understand exactly what it is about a suggested feature that was well recieved. The way it is done now, they get people's initial impression and then sometimes entirely miss the point of why people like the subclass/feature in the first place. Often it's not about the raw powerlevel nerf, but rather how they remove the core thing that got players excited.
Yea a 3rd and 4th would probably make it even more accurate.. But I think just actually being able to get people's reaction of the direction you intend to take the feature while balancing it is a very important bit of information if you're trying to actually satisfy your customers.
To take an example of favored foe.. They release a hugely popular UA featuring the ability to replace a ranger ability that can sometimes be really awkward to use in campaigns. People react positively so they decide to work towards a published version... However when the feature is actually published, none of what spawned the positive reception of the feature in the first place is present.. Meaning that they may aswell not have asked for the opnion of the player base in the first place, since they completely removed what it was people liked aoout it.
Cost is probably a concern, and I won't pretend to know about how expensive doing the UA stuff is.... But I fail to see the point of showing excitement about things if they are fundamentally changed once they reach release without us being able to react to said change.
I have absolutely no problem with UA becoming archived and having to purchase the content to use after it has been published. I absolutely hate the fact that they put the UA content out and then when it finally gets published it was like a bait-and-switch. Most of those subclasses were of little interest to me at all. But they went from 70% me not caring and 30% me being interested to me banning 100% of them because of that abysmally short-sighted Proficiency bonus scaling that they all have. The abusable nature of that design is prime for power gamers, and I want absolutely nothing to do with it at my table.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I resemble Lyxen’s remarks. I don’t typically allow/use UA material in my home campaigns though I do read it and try and follow how others use/implement it. Once something comes out in ‘official print,’ I then decide if I am going to use it. So for that reason, Tasha’s is worth the $$ to me personally and I am not disappointed that I bought it both in hard copy and here on DDB. (My hard copy was delayed, but should arrive today according to tracking.)
I will also admit that for me it has a nice bit of nostalgia flavoring to it.. For those of us who played back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, having Tasha narrate bits of the book is just fun imho. Some of us remember encountering Drelnza, the daughter of Iggwilv in those Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, or meeting Natasha in the Dragon published Module of Baba Yaga’s Hut.
So for me... yeah, totally worth it. Your mileage may vary though.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
thx Naresea
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
The question was is it worth the $30, the answer is no since the content was and for the most part still is free. Free public playtest of print material is in effect a pandora's box. Trying push it back behind a paywall is going to create backlash.
I won't simp for WotC on this, the content is mostly reprinted from stuff I already own or freely available for download. The handful of changes to subclasses are almost entirely nerfs, and why would I pay to nerf myself or my players? Almost nothing in UA is actually OP unless the DM is lazy and certainly nothing that made it into this book.